Danish authority reports local butcher to police after discovering horse meat in pizzas

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Danish authorities say they will report a butcher in central Denmark to police for selling horse meat labeled as beef to local pizzerias.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration's chief investigator, Michael Rosenmark, says samples taken from packages of "pizza meat" produced by Harby Slagterhus showed they contained a mix of horse meat, pork and beef.

The butcher, in a village near Denmark's second-largest city Arhus, markets itself as a local, high-quality alternative to large consortiums and claims the restaurants knew their product contained horse meat. But Rosenmark says a former employee at the butcher's supports the claim it has been misleading customers.

Authorities across Europe started doing random DNA checks on meat products after traces of horse meat turned up in frozen supermarket meals such as burgers and lasagna.